Page 42 of Wilderness Search
“Do you really think you need a chaperone?” Aaron asked.
Her cheeks flushed pink. “It’s just…awkward.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” He was amazed at how calm he felt. Seeing her nervous made him feel steadier. She wasn’t acting like someone who hated him.
“Why don’t we sit here?” She indicated the kitchen table. “Do you want something to drink or eat first?” She pulled a can of Coke from the refrigerator and held it up. “Do you want one?”
“Sure.”
He accepted the drink, then they sat across from each other and he laid his notes between them. “I should give Bethany credit for this idea,” he said. “She thought if we could find out if Olivia was running from something or to something, we could figure out how to persuade her that it’s safe to come home – or, if she was kidnapped, it might point to who took her. We’re alsostill trying to determine if she’s hurt, and who might have hurt her.”
“Because of that bloody shirt?”
“Yes. She’s doing a good job of avoiding all the searchers, so that makes me think she’s in pretty good shape. We believe she stayed close to the camp for several days at least. We’re hoping that’s still the case.”
“So she wanted to get away, but she stayed nearby. Why?”
“Bethany suggested it’s because she’s waiting for the person who hurt her to be caught. Then it will be safe for her to return.”
“Why not go somewhere and tell someone in authority what happened?” Willa asked.
“I don’t know. She seems like a bright kid, but maybe she doesn’t feel like she can trust anyone with her secret.”
“Or maybe the person who hurt her is someone in authority.”
Aaron nodded. “We don’t think it was another camper. So that leaves one of the counselors or other workers at the camp.”
“Or a parent?” Willa wrinkled her nose.
“We’ve checked out her parents pretty thoroughly,” he said. “There’s nothing suspicious there. But you might see if you can find out how Olivia viewed their relationship.”
She leaned back and grabbed a legal pad from the counter and began making notes. “Part of first aid is protecting our personal safety and our mental health, too,” she said. “With kids, especially, there’s an emphasis on not getting into dangerous situations in the first place. That includes identifying people who might be a danger or behave inappropriately. I can start a conversation with the kids from that direction. Maybe they’ll mention a particular incident or person at camp.”
“That’s a good idea,” Aaron said. “There’s also the possibility that Olivia left on purpose. She wanted to play in the wilderness, see if she could live like people in stories she’s read or heard about.”
Willa frowned. “That sounds terribly cruel to her parents. Not to mention how she’s endangered all the people who are searching for her.”
“She probably didn’t think about those things.”
Willa made more notes. “There will probably be camp employees at my class,” she said. “To assist and to keep tabs on me, too. I mean, if I was in charge of a bunch of kids, I wouldn’t let any stranger interact with the children without oversight. That might limit how nosy I can be.”
“I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right. Do the best you can. And maybe you can get a feel for how the adults who are there react to all this talk of inappropriate behavior. You might pick up something we need to investigate further.”
“I’m probably not going to find out anything useful,” she said. “But at least I can give the kids some first aid skills. I’m taking the class seriously. I’m not just there to be nosy.”
“I expected nothing less. You never do anything halfway.”
She looked down at her hands—fingers long and delicate, the nails trimmed short and painted pale pink. “I hope that’s meant as a compliment.”
“One of the things I’ve always admired most about you is your dedication and loyalty,” he said. “If you do a job, you give a hundred percent. If you love someone, you’ll do anything for them. Even when you were furious with me over what happened to Gary, I knew it was because he was your brother, and you would do anything to protect him.”
“I wouldn’t lie,” she said. “I always told the truth about him. That’s what upset me the most. My alibi for him wasn’t enough.”
Aaron sighed. How could he make her understand? “We were wrong,” he said. “I can say that now. I didn’t see it for a long time, though. We were trying to find a killer and on paper—from our skewed point of view at least—Gary looked like the only suspect.”
“I’ve done some reading,” she said. “About confirmation bias. Apparently, it’s something people don’t even realize they’re doing.”
“I’m glad Gary was released,” he said. “And I’m sorry for the hurt I caused you both.”
